Jordan Thomas Fowles 1/25/1975-7/9/2014

On July 9th, it was late afternoon.  Corey had gone to a work meeting, the four older kids had gone to the park, and the babies were just up from their naps.  I was sitting at my computer uploading pictures from our recent family reunion and blogging about kids growing up too fast on my other blog.  That's when I got a phone call from my parents informing me that my oldest brother had been in a car accident early that morning and had tragically passed away.  I was devastated.

The funeral was set up for the following Tuesday (July 15th) in Northern California, which was where he lived.  He was buried in Salt Lake City.  We drove out to Northern California, taking the trip over a few days.  We first drove to Elko, NV and stayed with our friends, the Nordstroms.  Then we drove on to Lodi, CA and stayed with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Neil.  Then we drove down to San Jose the next day.  We stayed with Corey's sister Traci and her husband in San Jose and attended the funeral there.  We left straight from the funeral and drove to Reno and stayed the night and then we drove home the next day.

We caravaned with Adam and Eve and Austin and Paige and Aaron and Kaori when we drove from Reno to SLC.  We stopped at a McDonald's somewhere in Northern Nevada for lunch.

The burial was in the Salt Lake City Cemetery on Friday, July 18th.  We had a "Celebration of Life" that evening at a ward building in SLC where an old friend of Jordan's was in the stake presidency and allowed us use of the building.

Here is his obituary:

*picture taken at the Family Reunion of Jordan and nephew Alex (Adam's oldest)

Jordan Thomas Fowles by John Fowles

Jordan Fowles of San Jose, California, tragically died in a single vehicle car accident on July 9, 2014.  He leaves behind six children whom he adored: Peter, Leah, Hannah, Matthew, Emmeline, and Elizabeth Fowles, and their mother Andrea Clavin Fowles.  He is also survived by parents Carl Steven and Martha Fellows Fowles, younger siblings and their spouses John and Allison Fowles, Jenna and Corey King, Aaron and Kaori Fowles, Adam and Eve Fowles, and Austin and Paige Fowles, as well as 25 nieces and nephews.  

Jordan was born in Mesa, Arizona, and grew up primarily in Richardson, Texas.  He was studious from an early age, excelling in school and collecting experience and knowledge around the world as he served a two-year LDS mission in Leipzig, Germany, studied at Ricks College in Idaho, Brigham Young University in Utah, the University of Vilnius in Lithuania, and obtained Master's Degrees at both Oxford University in England and the University of Michigan, where he also graduated with his law degree in 2004, and, most recently, as a Pilgrim walking The Way of St. James in Spain.  He became a passionate lawyer, practicing as a patent litigator first at Fish & Richardson P.C. in Dallas and Austin, Texas, then at Duan Morris LLP in Houston Texas.  At the time of his death, he was corporate counsel focusing on patent litigation at Google.

Throughout the many stages of his life experiences he became a friend and mentor to many, both professionally and personally.  He was a loving and devoted father, thinking constantly of his children.  He enthusiastically helped others and loved engaging in social and civic endeavors, including Alumni associations, the J.Reuben Clark Law Society, and serving in his Church.  He loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ and provided an example of Christian discipleship to those around him.